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JUN  1  6  2005 

UNIVERSITY  OF 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN    NO.    97- 


MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF 

SWINE. 


BY  WILLIAM  DIETRICH. 


URBANA,  NOVEMBER,  1904. 


SUMMARY  OF  BULLETIN  No.  97. 


CLASSES.  SUBCLASSES. 

PRIME  HEAVY  HOGS,  350-500  Ib 

r  HEAVY  BUTCHERS, 

280-350  Ib. 
MEDIUM  BUTCHERS, 

220-280  Ib. 
LIGHT  BUTCHERS, 

180-220  Ib. 

HEAVY  PACKING, 

300-500  Ib. 


BUTCHER  HOGS, 

180-350 Ib. 

Page  425. 


GRADE. 
.  PRIME 
PRIME. 
GOOD. 

PRIME. 

GOOD. 

COMMON. 


PLATE. 
1 
2 
3 

4,7 
5,8 
6,9 


IO\J\J—<J\J\J  iu. 
MEDIUM  PACKING, 

GOOD. 

435 

10, 

13,16 

200-500  Ib.       <j       25o_300  Ib. 

COMMON. 

435 

11, 

14,17 

-Page-432.            MIXED  PACKING, 

INFERIOR. 

435 

12,  15,  18 

[      200-280  Ib. 

f  ENG.,  160-220 
Ib.     Page  442. 

'  CHOICE. 
LIGHT. 
.  FAT. 

443 
445 
445 

19 
20 
21 

BACON.   •{ 
U.  S  .,155-195 

-  CHOICE. 

447 

23 

LIGHT  HOGS, 

Ib.     Page  446. 

GOOD. 

,  COMMON. 

448 
448 

24 
25 

125-220  Ib.       < 
Page  442. 

LIGHT  MIXED,  150-220  Ib. 
Page  449. 

iGooo. 
COMMON. 
INFERIOR. 

449 
449 
449 

26 

27 
28 

GOOD. 

452 

29 

LIGHT  LIGHT,  125-150  Ib. 

[  COMMON. 

452 

30 

Page  450. 

INFERIOR. 

452 

31 

CHOICE. 

453 

32 

[  GOOD. 

453 

33 

,  COMMON. 

453 

34 

ROUGHS  

454 

35 

STAGS  

454 

36 

BOARS  . 

454 

37 

MISCELLANEOUS. 


ROASTING  PIGS,  15-30  Ib. 

FEEDERS 

GOVERNMENTS 

PEN  HOLDERS   

DEAD  HOGS  . . 


457 
457 
458 
460 
460 


Conclusions Page  462 


38 

39 
40 
41 


418 


MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF 

SWINE. 

BY  WILLIAM  DIETRICH,  ASSISTANT  IN  SWINE  HUSBANDRY. 

INTRODUCTION. 

In  selling  hogs  to  the  local  buyer  or  shipper,  the  farmer  is  very  often 
at  a  decided  disadvantage  because  he  cannot  interpret  market  reports 
to  the  full  extent  of  their  meaning,  and  therefore  either  does  not  get 
what  his  hogs  are  worth  or  loses  a  sale  by  asking  too  much  for  them. 
Believing  that  the  producer  of  swine  can  be  helped  to  a  better  under- 
standing of  the  market  end  of  the  business,  it  was  thought  that  an 
attempt  to  explain  how  swine  are  classified  and  graded  on  the  Chicago 
and  other  markets  would  be  of  benefit  to  the  average  farmer.  The 
regular  shipper  who  visits  the  market  frequently  and  the  large  farmer 
who  accompanies  his  stock  to  market  have  excellent  opportunities  to 
become  acquainted  with  stockyards  expressions,  and  therefore  the 
market  reports  as  they  refer  to  the  various  classes  and  grades  of  swine. 
It  is  primarily  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  do  not  have  this  opportunity 
that  this  work  was  undertaken. 

The  necessity  of  an  explanation  of  the  classification  is  clearly  evident. 
The  very  great  difficulties,  however,  of  such  an  undertaking  are  not  so 
evident.  The  weight,  condition,  and  quality  of  hogs  coming  to  the 
market  vary  between  wide  limits,  and,  in  general,  make  up  markedly 
different  classes  and  grades.  Owing  to  the  varying  opinions  held  by 
different  people  who  have  to  do  with  the  handling  of  hogs  on  the  market, 
and  the  activity  of  the  market  for  certain  classes  compared  with  the 
dullness  of  the  market  for  other  classes,  the  limits  of  these  different 
classes  are  somewhat  variable.  The  boundary  lines  may  be  shifted  one 
way  or  the  other,  depending  on  the  activity  of  the  market  for  one  class 
and  the  dullness  of  the  market  for  the  other  class,  e.  g.,  light  hogs  may 
be  in  great  demand,  but  not  very  plentiful,  and  heavy  hogs  may  be  plen- 
tiful, but  not  in  very  great  demand;  then  the  boundary  line  between 
light  and  heavy  hogs  would  be  slightly  raised  so  that  the  demand  in  the 
light-hog  class  could  be  filled  with  hogs  from  the  lower  limits  of  the 
heavy-hog  class.  The  difficulties  of  the  task  are  further  augmented  in 
describing  animals  of  the  various  classes  with  varying  condition  and' 
quality  so  that  they  are  clear  to  the  reader.  It  is  a  comparatively  simple 
matter  to' bring  out  animals  to  represent  certain  types  and  to  illustrate 
with  them  the  classes  and  grades  to  which  they  belong.  But  to  describe 
on  paper  these  concrete  objects  with  such  abstract  differences  as  quality, 

419 


420  BULLETIN  No.  97.  [November, 

without  the  object  itself,  is  by  no  means  an  easy  task.  On  account  of 
the  restlessness  and  lowness  to  the  ground  of  swine,  it  is  difficult  to  secure 
good  photographs  of  them,  but  having  secured  them,  they  are  very  helpful 
to  familiarize  the  reader  with  the  different  classes  and  grades. 

Another  difficulty  that  confronts  one  is  the  lack  of  uniformity  in 
terms  used  in  different  market  reports.  Some  of  the  terms  thus  used 
are  not  characteristic  of  what  the  names  represent,  and  others  are  too 
broad  in  scope. 

In  an  effort  to  present  the  subject  so  as  to  conform  as  nearly  as  possible 
to  the  true  relation  of  things  and  in  such  a  manner  that  it  can  be  under- 
stood by  the  average  reader,  the  classification  given  hi  the  following  pages 
has  been  evolved.  It  must  not  be  understood,  however,  that  this  is 
simply  a  theoretical  classification.  It  is  in  fact  the  real  classification 
used  in  the  Chicago  and  other  stockyards,  although  not  strictly  observed 
in  market  reports  or  absolutely  followed  in  practice  by  buyers  and  sales- 
men. Very  often  it  is  much  abridged  without  any  inconvenience  to  those 
familiar  to  the  trade. 

In  small  market  centers  the  classification  is  not  so  complete,  because 
the  market  demands  are  not  so  exacting  nor  the  supply  so  abundant. 
As  far,  however,  as  the  classification  is  carried  out  in  American  hog  mar- 
kets it  is  in  accord  with  the  classification  herein  given. 

This  bulletin  is  the  result  of  a  personal  and  extensive  investigation 
on  the  Chicago  and  other  markets,  both  in  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
where  every  possible  courtesy  was  extended  by  the  packers,  stockyards 
officials,  government  inspectors,  and  especially  by  buyers,  speculators, 
and  commission  men.  Grateful  acknowledgment  is  gladly  made  for 
assistance  rendered  by  them  in  the  preparation  of  this  bulletin. 

All  but  two  of  the  cuts  presented  herein  were  made  from  photographs 
taken  expressly  for  this  bulletin,  and  no  time  or  expense  was  spared  to 
obtain  photographs  which  should  be  both  clear  and  illustrative  of  what 
they  represent. 

Before  taking  up  the  discussion  of  the  market  classification  it  is  neces- 
sary, in  order  to'get  a  better  conception  of  the  subject  in  hand,  to  take 
up  a  general  consideration  of  the  hog  of  the  United  States  leading  up  to 
the  development  of  the 

FAT  OR  LARD  HOG. 

To  show  the  importance  of  the  United  States  in  the  swine  industry 
of  the  world,  and  thereby  its  influence  in  developing  type,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  state  that  it  produces  two-fifths  of  all  the  hogs  in  the  world. 
In  round  numbers,  according  to  the  latest  statistics  obtainable,  the 
United  States  has  47,000,000  hogs;  Germany,  17,000,000;  Russia, 
11,000,000;  Hungary,  7,000,000;  Canada,  3,000,000;  Spain,  2,000,000; 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  421 

Roumania,  2,000,000;  Poland,  Belgium,  Denmark,  Australasia,  and  the 
Netherlands,  each  1,000,000.  All  other  countries,  together  with  those 
above  enumerated,  have  enough  to  make  117,000,000. 

As  to  the  distribution  of  hogs  in  the  United  States,  we  find  that  in  the 
year  1901-'02,  there  were  packed  in  the  western  states,  including  Ohio, 
Kentucky,  and  the  states  to  the  west,  25,411,676  hogs.  During  the 
same  year  there  were  packed  in  the  eastern  states,  including  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  and  all  states  to  the  east,  2,749,000  hogs.  Considering 
that  Chicago  alone  ships  1,000,000  hogs  to  the  east  annually,  it  is  very 
evident  that  the  states  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  play  a  very  important 
part  in  the  swine-growing  industry  of  the  world.  The  type  of  hog  pro- 
duced here  is  familiar  to  all  stockmen  of  the  United  States.  Unlike  the 
bacon  hog  of  England,  Denmark,  and  Canada,  the  most  valuable  parti 
of  this  animal  are  the  hams,  back,  and  shoulders,  consequently  these 
parts  are  developed  at  the  expense  of  the  sides,  and  the  result  is  a  hog 
that  is  diametrically  opposite  to  the  above  mentioned  bacon  hog,  viz., 
one  that  has  a  broad  back,  wide  and  full  hams  and  shoulders,  also  a  heavy 
neck  and  jowls,  with  a  large  proportion  of  external  as  well  as  internal  fat. 

The  question  that  naturally  presents  itself  in  this  connection  is,  why 
is  there  such  a  difference  between  these  different  types  of  hogs  when 
they  are  all  used  for  meat  production?  This  question  is  all  the  more 
striking  when  we  stop  to  consider  that  all  the  breeds  of  beef  cattle  and 
mutton  sheep  in  all  the  principal  countries  of  the  world  are  practically  of 
the  same  form.  If  not  yet  of  precisely  the  same  form,  they  are  all  being 
developed  toward  the  same  ideal.  It  is  true  that  there  is  a  great  differ- 
ence between  beef  cattle  and  dairy  cattle,  but  they  serve  different  pur- 
poses. In  one  instance,  the  production  of  meat  is  of  primary  impor- 
tance; in  the  other,  milk  and  butter  are  produced  at  the  expense  of  meat. 
Considering  that  the  fat  or  lard  hog  furnishes  fat  in  the  form  of  lard,  and 
the  dairy  cow  furnishes  fat  in  the  form  of  butter,  there  might  be  a  slight 
comparison  between  the  two.  But  on  the  other  hand,  the  fat  or  lard 
hog  is  grown  primarily  for  the  meat  produced  from  his  carcass,  conse- 
quently both  in  this  respect  and  in  his  form,  the  fat  or  lard  hog  resembles 
the  beef  steer.  Then  why  the  difference  between  the  two  above  men- 
tioned types  of  hogs? 

Most  of  the  hogs  of  the  United  States  as  shown  above  are  grown  in 
the  corn  belt,  consequently  this  section  of  the  country  has  taken  the  lead 
in  the  development  of  swine  of  the  fat  or  lard  hog  type,  and  has  deter- 
mined their  characteristics.  When  the  United  States  was  settled,  swine, 
of  course,  were  brought  over  from  Europe,  but  conditions  here,  and 
especially  in  the  corn  belt,  were  very  different,  and  the  character  of  the 
hog  was  changed  to  meet  the  demand  as  it  developed  under  the  different 
conditions. 


422  BULLETIN  No.  97.  [November, 

There  are  three  principal  reasons  for  the  development  of  the  fat  or 
lard  hog: 

1.  The  abundance  and  relatively  low  price  of  corn. 

2.  The  home  demand  for  cured  meats. 

3.  The  foreign  demand  for  cheap  meats. 

(1)  Corn  is  a  plant  native  to  America,  and  in  the  corn  belt  can  be 
produced  with  much  less  cost  than  can  any  of  the  other  grains.     It  is 
very  natural  then  that  it  should  be  used  almost  exclusively  as  a  feed  for 
swine.     It  is  a  feed  that  is  comparatively  rich  in  carbohydrates  and 
much  lacking  in  protein.     Carbohydrates  are  used  in  the  animal  body  for 
building  up  fat  and  to  furnish  the  fuel  that  is  used  in  the  production  of 
physical  energy.     Protein  is  that  part  of  a  food  material  that  is  rich  in 
nitrogen  and  is  used  principally  to  build  up  muscle  or  lean  meat.     Feeds 
such  as  middlings,  peas,  skim  milk,  etc.,  are  rich  in  this  constituent. 
Now,  since  corn  is  the  principal  source  of  feed  for  swine  in  the  United 
States,  it  is  only  the  natural  consequence  that  its  hogs  are  of  the  fat  or 
lard  hog  type. 

(2)  In  the  earlier  history  of  the  United  States,  very  few,  if  any,  of 
the  frontier  sections  had  railroad  facilities,  so  could  not  import  fresh 
meats;  neither  had  they  facilities  for  local  production  of  meats.    Then, 
again,  these  places,  and  especially  the  lumber  camps,  used  a  great  deal 
of  meat,  and  it  had  to  be  of  such  a  nature  that  it  could  be  hauled  long 
distances  on  wagons  and  be  capable  of  long  storage  after  reaching  its 
destination.    The  most  satisfactory  meat  for  this  purpose  was  mess 
pork.     There  are  two  reasons  why  fat  salt  pork  was  better  than  lean  salt 
pork,     (a)    Fat  pork  does  not  become  so  salty  on  being  pickled  as  does 
lean  pork.     It  is  not  so  thoroughly  penetrated  by  the  salt,  therefore  is 
more  palatable  after  long  storage  than  is  lean  pork,  which  also  requires 
a  larger  quantity  of  salt,  and  is  not  so  well  preserved  as  is  the  fat  pork. 
(6)  Fat  pork  was  better  both  from  the  employer's  and  from  the  con- 
sumer's point  of  view,  because  on  account  of  its  fatty  nature,  it  contains 
two  and  one-fourth  times  as  much  energy  per  unit  of  weight  as  does  lean 
pork,  therefore  making  a  cheaper  article  on  the  bill  of  fare,  also  furnishing 
sufficient  energy  to  the  laborer  who  was  toiling  hard  in  cold  winter 
weather. 

(3)  There  was  a  foreign  demand  by  the  poorer  class  of  people  for 
cheaper  meats  than  could  be  supplied  by  their  high  priced  bacon  industry. 
This  cheaper  meat  could  be  supplied  in  the  form  of  fat  pork  made  from 
low  priced  corn,  and  at  the  same  time  could  be  furnished  at  a  profit. 

From  these  various  causes  it  is  clearly  evident  that  the  fat  or  lard 
hog  of  the  United  States  was  produced  not  only  because  he  could  be 
produced  more  cheaply  than  the  bacon  hog,  but  also  because  there  was  a 
demand  for  just  such  a  hog. 


1904.]  MAKKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  423 

The  following  is  the  classification  of  swine  as  used  on  the  principal 
markets : 

CLASSES.                                    SUBCLASSES.  GRADES. 

PRIME  HEAVY  HOGS,  350-500  lb PRIME. 

{  HEAVY  BUTCHERS,  280-350  lb.  i  PRIME. 

(  GOOD. 

180-350  lb.  ]  MEDIUM  BUTCHERS,  220-280  lb.  (  PRIME. 

I  LIGHT  BUTCHERS,  180-220  lb.  GoOD- 

l_  (  COMMON. 

(  HEAVY  PACKING,  300-500  lb.  t  GOOD. 

PACKING  HOGS,  \  ,,  _  0_.  0-rt ,,  \  _, 

'  I  MEDIUM  PACKING,  250-300  lb.  j  COMMON. 

(  MIXED  PACKING,  200-280  lb.  (  INFERIOR. 

f  i  CHOICE. 

ENG.,  160-220  lb.  ]  LIGHT. 

(  FAT. 

BACON,   -j  CHOICE. 

'  U.  S.,  155-195  lb.  J  GOOD. 


LIGHT  HOGS,  *•  COMMON. 

125-220  lb.  f  GOOD. 

LIGHT  MIXED,  150-220  lb.  j  COMMON. 

(  INFERIOR. 
f  GOOD. 

LIGHT  LIGHT,  125-150  lb.  j  COMMON. 

'  INFERIOR. 

!  CHOICE. 
GOOD. 
COMMON. 
ROUGHS. 
STAGS. 
BOARS. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 
ROASTING  PIGS,  15-30  lb. 
FEEDERS. 
GOVERNMENTS. 
PEN  HOLDERS. 
DEAD  HOGS. 

PRIME  HEAVY   HOGS. 

By  the  term  "prime  heavy  hogs,"  is  meant  a  prime  heavy  fat-back 
hog,  weighing  from  350  to  500  pounds,  the  extreme  of  the  fat  or  lard  hog 
type.  Plate  1,  page  424.  (For  meaning  of  prime,  see  discussion  under 
"Butcher  Hogs,"  page  425.) 

With  the  tendencies  of  the  market  working  toward  the  lighter  hogs, 
there  are  not  very  many  of  these  heavy  hogs  at  present  coming  to  mar- 
ket; however,  there  are  still  enough  to  make  a  market  class.  The  fat 
meat  of  these  hogs  is  classified  separately,  and  finds  a  market  in  Ger- 
many, France,  and  in  some  parts  of  Spanish  America.  Such  cuts  as 
"clear  backs"  and  "clear  bellies,"  which  are  composed  of  the  clear  fat 
without  any  admixture  of  lean  meat,  are  made  from  hogs  of  this  class. 


424 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[  November, 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  425 

BUTCHER  HOGS. 

Butcher  hogs  as  a  class  are  principally  barrows.  Other  things  being 
equal,  barrows  sell  more  readily  and  at  better  prices  than  do  sows. 
In  a  drove  of  butcher  hogs  there  may  be  present  a  few  good  sows  with- 
out detracting  from  the  value  of  the  drove.  Good  young  sows,  as  a 
rule,  are  kept  on  the  farm  for  breeding  purposes,  and  poor  young  sows 
and  old  sows  will  not  take  on  the  finish  required  in  the  butcher  hog  class. 

Butcher  hogs  are  commonly  used  for  the  fresh  meat  trade.  They 
may  be  slaughtered  and  consumed  at  home,  may  be  shipped  and 
slaughtered  in  the  east,  .may  be  slaughtered  locally  and  the  meat 
consumed  locally,  and  may  be  shipped  east,  or  even  to  foreign  countries. 
About  25  percent  of  the  hogs  coming  to  the  Chicago  market  annually  are 
of  this  class.  They  range  in  age,  with  good  care  and  heavy  feeding,  from 
about  six  months  for  the  light  butchers  to  one  year  for  the  heavy  butchers. 
With  less  intensive  feeding  the  age  will  be  greater  for  hogs  of  the  various 
weights. 

The  class  of  butcher  hogs  is  subdivided  into  three  subclasses,  as 
follows: 

Heavy  butchers,  280-350  Ib. 

Medium  butchers,  220-280  Ib. 

Light  butchers,  180-220  Ib. 

Except  in  weight,  these  three  subdivisions  are  practically  the  same. 
Hogs  of  this  class  are  graded  on  the  market  as  follows: 

Prime  heavy  butchers,  plate  2,  page  426. 

Good  heavy  butchers,  plate  3,  page  428. 

Prime  medium  butchers,  plate  4,  page  429. 

Good  medium  butchers,  plate  5,  page  430. 

Common  medium  butchers,  plate  6,  page  430. 

Prime  light  butchers,  plate  7,  page  431. 

Good  light  butchers,  plate  8,  page  431. 

Common  light  butchers,  plate  9,  page  432. 

PRIME    BUTCHERS. 

Hogs  that  will  grade  as  prime  butchers,  either  heavy,  medium,  or 
light,  must  be  perfect  in  quality,  ideal  in  form,  and  must  show  much 
evidence  of  ripeness  in  condition  as  well  as  maturity. 

Prime. — The  term  "prime"  in  a  general  way  means  the  best  of  the 
class,  but  in  a  more  specific  way  in  stockyards'  vernacular,  it  has  a  mean- 
ing of  its  own.  To  grade  as  prime,  a  hog  must  show  marked  evidence  of 
ripeness  and  maturity.  The  two  must  go  hand  in  hand.  A  hog  may  be 
mature  without  having  been  fed  so  as  to  show  that  bloom  of  condition 
that  is  necessary  for  a  prime  hog,  or  he  may  have  been  as  well  fed  as 
possible  and  not  be  sufficiently  mature;  consequently  he  would  not  grade 


426 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[November, 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  (TRADES  OF  SWINE.  427 

as  prime.  The  high  state  of  finish  required  for  a  hog  of  this  grade  is 
brought  about  by  liberal  grain  feeding  to 'maturity.  Maturity  in  general 
means  that  condition  at  which  development  is  complete.  In  a  more 
specific  sense  in  the  realm  of  swine  feeding  it  may  be  given  an  additional 
meaning,  viz.,  that  stage  in  the  process  of  feeding  where  growth  ceases 
under  a  given  system  of  feeding  and  the  animal  takes  on  the  form  and 
appearance  as  well  as  the  high  state  of  finish  of  an  ordinarily  well-fed 
mature  animal.  This  may  be  at  different  ages  and  weights,  thus  giving 
us  prime  heavy  hogs  and  prime,  .heavy,  medium,  and  light  butchers, 
ranging  in  weight  from  500  down  to  200  pounds. 

Quality. — By  quality  is  meant  the  characteristic  that  is  indicated  by 
a  medium  sized,  fine,  clean-cut  head  without  any  surplus  fat  or  wrinkles 
of  skin;  medium  sized  ears  of  fine  texture;  hair  that  is  fine,  straight,  and 
silky,  and  lies  close  to  the  body;  skin  that  is  smooth,  pliable,  and  free 
from  wrinkles;  tail  that  is  smooth,  nicely  tapering,  and  not  too  large; 
bone  that  is  fine,  firm,  and  free  from  undue  coarseness  at  the  joints  as 
indicated  in  the  legs;  shoulders  that  in  the  case  of  boars  have  not  too 
large  development  of  shields;  and  by  a  symmetrical,  smooth  development 
throughout  the  entire  body.  In  short,  such  points  of  refinement  in  form 
and  features  as  are  characteristic  of  well-bred  swine. 

Form. — The  form  of  a  prime  butcher  hog  is  that  of  an  ideal  fat  or  lard 
hog,  viz.,  broad  back,  wide  and  well-filled  hams  and  shoulders,  short, 
heavy  neck,  heavy  jowls,  and  short  legs.  The  hog  must  have  these  parts 
well  developed,  and  at  the  same  time  be  symmetrical,  smooth,  and  com- 
pact. Together  with  this  form  there  must  be  an  indication  of  quality, 
such  as  goes  only  with  good  breeding  and  good  feeding. 

Condition. — Condition  is  a  greater  factor  than  either  form  or  quality 
in  determining  the  grade  to  which  a  fat  hog  belongs.  By  condition  is 
meant  the  degree  of  fatness.  Prime  butcher  hogs  must  be  well  covered 
with  a  thick  layer  of  fat  on  the  outside  of  the  carcass,  be  well  rounded 
out  at  the  rump,  thus  making  a  socket  in  which  the  tail  is  set,  be  well 
filled  out  on  neck  up  to  the  face,  have  a  broad,  fat  back  with  much  fat 
on  sides  and  on  belly,  and  be  well  filled  in  flanks  and  in  twist.  Besides 
this,  they  must  be  free  from  flabbiness,  and  show  a  firm,  even.,  and  sym- 
metrical development.  Plates  2,  4,  and  7,  pages  426,  429,  431. 

GOOD    BUTCHERS. 

Hogs  of  this  grade,  though  not  as  good  as  the  prime  butchers,  are  still 
very  good  representatives  of  the  porcine  family  in  a  high  state  of  develop- 
ment. Compared  with  prime  butchers,  the  good  butchers  may  be 
slightly  deficient  in  form,  or  a  little  lacking  in  quality,  or  maturity,  or 
may  be  lacking  somewhat  in  condition.  The  deficiency  may  be  in  any 
one  or  in  all  of  these  characteristics;  if  in  only  one,  it  may  be  more  marked, 


428 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[November, 


1904.]  MAKKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  429 

and  if  in  all,  it  must  be  only  slight  in  each  to  permit  the  hog  to  still  grade 
as  a  good  butcher.     Plates  3,  5,  and  8,  pages  428,  430,  431. 

COMMON    BUTCHERS. 

These  are  found  only  in  the  medium  and  light  butcher  classes.  Tak- 
ing hogs  as  a  whole,  as  they  come  to  the  yards  the  common  butchers  are 
still  of  the  better  grades.  There  is  not  the  difference  between  these  and 
prime  butchers  that  there  is  between  "common  rough  steers"  and  "prime 
steers"  in  the  grades  of  beef  cattle.  The  common  butcher  hog  is  one 
that  shows  considerable  evidence  of  having  been  well  fed,  and  possesses 
compactness,  smoothness,  and  firmness.  Frequently,  however,  he  is  not 
a  mature  animal,  and  is  considerably  more  deficient  in  form,  quality,  and 
condition  than  the  prime  butcher  hog.  Plates  6  and  9,  pages  430,  432. 

In  different  markets  and  different  market  reports  various  terms  are 
used  to  represent  all  or  part  of  this  class  of  hogs.  Some  of  the  names  that 
are  commonly  used  are  "heavy  shipping,"  "selected,"  "mediums  and 
butchers,"  "mediums  and  heavies."  The  term  "heavy  shipping  hogs" 
cannot  consistently  be  used  for  this  class,  as  the  same  kind  of  hogs  are 
used  for  home  consumption.  By  "shipping  hogs"  are  meant  hogs  that 
are  bought  in  a  market  like  Chicago  and  shipped  elsewhere  to  be  slaugh- 
tered. This  term  may  include  hogs  of  several  different  classes  and 
grades.  "Hog  shippers,"  as  used  in  market  reports,  means  men  who 
buy  hogs  on  the  market  and  ship  them  out  again  to  some  other  market. 
The  term  "mediums  and  heavies"  is  a  term  that  means  hogs  of  medium 
and  heavy  weight,  and  may  have  reference  to  hogs  in  two  entirely  differ- 
ent classes. 


430 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[November, 


GOOD  MEDIUM   BUTCHER! 


PLATE   6.  COMMON    MEDIUM    BUTCHERS 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  431 


PLATE.  Z-.PRJ-ME  LIGHT  aUTCMERS 


432 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[November, 


PACKING    HOGS. 

As  a  whole,  the  hogs  of  this  class  are  of  a  poorer  grade  than  are  the 
butcher  hogs,  and  it  is  here  that  we  find  old  brood  sows  and  all  other 
hogs,  except  the  poorer  classes,  such  as  roughs,  boars,  and  coarse  stags, 
that  are  heavy  enough  for  this  class  and  not  good  enough  for  the  butcher 
hog  class. 

This  is  the  class  of  hogs  from  which,  as  the  name  indicates,  the  pack- 
ing industry  has  received  its  name.  The  side  pork  from  these  hogs  is 
used  principally  in  the  various  processes  of  curing.  It  is  made  into  mess 
pork,  short  cut  mess  pork,  dry  salt  sides,  and  the  hams  and  shoulders  are 
cured.  About  forty  percent  of  the  hogs  coming  to  the  Chicago  market 
annually  are  of  this  class.  They  range  in  age  upwards  of  about  nine 
months.  A  200-pound  packing  hog  is  usually  an  older  hog  than  a  200- 
pound  butcher  hog.  He  has  not  been  fed  in  the  manner  necessary  to 
make  a  butcher,  hog,  consequently  has  required  more  time  to  attain  a 
given  weight. 

This  class  of  hogs  is  subdivided  into  three  subclasses,  viz.: 

Heavy  packing,  300-500  Ib. 

Medium  packing,  250-300  Ib. 

Mixed  packing,  200-280  Ib. 

Heavy  packing  includes  the  heavy  hogs  of  this  class  and  medium 
packing  the  lighter  hogs.  Mixed  packing  is  a  subclass  that  is  somewhat 
characteristic  in  itself.  This  is  representative  of  hogs  as  they  come  to 
the  yards  from  local  buyers  in  the  country,  and  represents  hogs  of  differ- 
ent classes  as  well  as  different  grades,  as  the  name  indicates.  There 
may  be  heavy  packing,  medium  packing  (medium  meaning  medium  in 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  433 

weight,  not  in  quality),  some  light  hogs,  and  even  a  few  butcher  hogs  in 
the  drove.  Such  droves  of  hogs  are  frequently  seen  on  the  market.  In 
fact,  a  great  many  come  in  this  way,  and  are  simply  called  mixed  packing, 
and  in  some  cases  mixed  hogs,  and  sold  to  the  packer  without  sorting. 
In  such  cases  the  sorting  is  done  after  slaughtering,  when  the  carcasses 
are  being  cut,  the  heavy  ones  being  sent  one  way  and  the  lighter  ones 
another. 

This  kind  of  hogs  must  necessarily  sell  at  a  slight  disadvantage.  A 
mixed  -drove  of  hogs,  even  if  they  are  composed  of  good  individuals, 
never  looks  as  well  as  a  drove  that  are  all  of  the  same  size,  and  of  course 
they  sell  to  some  extent  on  their  appearance.  If  a  commission  man  will 
sort  up  such  a  car  of  hogs  and  sell  them  in  their  various  classes,  he  will 
always  have  a  few  of  one  class  in  a  lot  by  themselves  that  will  not  sell  so 
well  as  would  a  larger  drove — a  drove  sufficient  to  make  a  carload. 

It  is  this  class  of  hogs  principally,  viz.,  mixed  packing,  that  furnishes 
a  field  for  operation  to  the  speculator.  He  buys  several  carloads  of  these 
mixed  packing  hogs  and  sorts  them  into  their  various  classes  and  resells 
them.  By  so  doing  he  gets  enough  of  a  class  to  make  carload  lots  with 
which  to  fill  shipping  orders  or  with  which  to  attract  the  eye  of  a  local 
buyer,  and  thereby  sell  his  hogs  at  a  profit. 

The  speculator  is  a  desirable  adjunct  to  all  great  central  markets. 
He  helps  to  create  competition,  to  tide  over  dull  times  in  the  market  by 
taking  some  of  the  surplus  hogs  and  selling  them  on  days  when  hogs  are 
more  scarce.  It  is  true  that  the  shrewd  speculator  sometimes  makes 
considerable  profit  in  his  operations,  but  very  often  the  speculator,  by 
means  of  his  plunging  business  methods,  pays  more  for  a  drove  of  hogs 
than  is  offered  by  other  buyers.  He  has  the  advantage  in  that  all  the 
hogs  he  handles  pass  through  his  hands  as  his  private  property,  and  he 
can  grade  them  both  as  to  grade  and  as  to  numbers  so  that  they  will  sell 
to  the  best  advantage.  This  the  commission  man  cannot  always  do, 
because  he  would  not  have  enough  of  a  grade  to  make  an  attractive  drove. 
The  grades  of  packing  hogs  are  as  follows: 

Good  heavy  packing,  plate  10,  page  434. 

Common  heavy  packing,  plate  11,  page'436. 

Inferior  heavy  packing,  plate  12,  page  437. 

Good  medium  packing,  plate  13,  page  437. 

Common  medium  packing,  plate  14,  page  438. 

Inferior  medium  packing,  plate  15,  page  438. 

Good  mixed  packing,  plate  16,  page  439. 

Common  mixed  packing,  plate  17,  page  440. 

Inferior  mixed  packing,  plate  18,  page  441. 


434 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[November, 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  435 

GOOD  PACKING  HOGS. 

The  grades  in  this  class,  either  heavy,  medium,  or  mixed  packing,  are 
rather  difficult  to  describe.  Being  a  mixture  of  several  different  kinds 
of  hogs,  the  terms  good,  common,  and  inferior  may  have  several  inter- 
pretations. There  may  be  a  lot  of  old  sows  that  bear  evidence  of  once 
having  had  pigs,  but  are  fitted  in  very  high  condition.  They  are  very 
good  in  form,  quality,  and  condition,  but  having  performed  maternal 
duties,  they  are  not  capable  of  so  high  a  finish,  and  consequently  cannot 
be  classified  with  butcher  hogs.  These,  then,  are  good  packing  hogs, 
either  heavy  or  medium,  according  to  weight.  Again,  there 'may  be  a 
drove  of  barrows  that  are  not  well  enough  developed  a-nd  are  too  much 
lacking  in  form,  quality,  and  condition  to  go  into  the  butcher  hog  class, 
but  still  bear  marked  evidence  of  being  of  the  fat  hog  type  and  breeding 
and  these  are  graded  as  good  packing  hogs.  Then  again,  there  may  be 
a  mixture  of  sows  and  barrows  quite  varying  in  quality  and  condition, 
but  still  bearing  sufficient  evidence  as  a  whole  of  good  breeding,  form, 
and  quality  to  grade  as  good  packing  hogs.  Plates  10,  13,  and  16;  pages 
434,  437,  439. 

COMMON    PACKING   HOGS. 

This  grade  of  packers  is  similar  to  the  foregoing,  except  that  they  need 
not  show  so  perfect  a  form,  so  fine  a  quality,  or  show  so  much  evidence 
of  having  been  fed.  They  are,  however,  strictly  of  the  fat  or  lard  hog 
type,  and  show  that  they  have  been  fitted  for  market.  Plates  11,  14, 
and  17;  pages  436,  438,  440. 

INFERIOR    PACKING   HOGS. 

In  this  division  of  the  hog  market  we  find  hogs  that  are  poor  in  form, 
coarse  in  quality,  and  much  lacking  in  condition.  They  are,  however, 
good  enough  in  these  various  characteristics  to  allow  them  to  pass  unques- 
tionably as  fit  for  the  block.  Plates  12,  15,  and  18;  pages  437,  438,  441. 

In  the  various  market  reports  we  find  such  terms  as  "mixed  packing" 
"heavy  packing,"  "mixed  hogs,"  "mediums  and  heavies."  and  "mediums 
and  butchers,"  to  represent  a  part  of  all  of  the  hogs  in  this  class.  The 
first  two  terms  are  names  of  subclasses,  and  mean  what  the  name  indi- 
cates. "Mixed  hogs,"  is  too  vague  a  term,  as  it  may  mean  almost  any- 
thing. The  two  latter  terms  may  stand  for  hogs  of  different  classes; 
"mediums"  may  refer  either  to  packing  or  to  butcher  hogs;  "heavies" 
may  refer  either  to  heavy  packing  or  to  heavy  butcher  hogs;  and 
"butchers,"  of  course,  refers  to  butcher  hogs. 


436 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[  November, 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  437 


PLATE  43  GOOD    MLDIUM   PACKING 


438 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[November. 


Z  O H  M O  M  *H £0 1 U n 


1904.] 


MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE. 


439 


440 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[November, 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE. 


441 


442  BULLETIN  No.  97.  [November, 

LIGHT  HOGS. 

The  class  of  light  hogs  includes  all  hogs  within  the  weight  limits, 
125-220  lb.,  except  roughs,  stags,  and  boars,  which  form  separate 
classes.  About  fifteen  percent  of  all  the  hogs  coming  to  the  Chicago 
market  are  of  this  class.  They  range  in  age  from  five  to  eight  months. 
Since  this  class  includes  practically  all  hogs  within  the  given  weight 
limits,  they  must  necessarily  be  quite  different  as  to  form,  quality,  and 
condition.  Such  being  the  case,  the  meat  from  the  same  is  prepared 
differently,  thus  making  the  subclasses  of  more  importance  than  in  the 
two  former  classes.  These,  then,  must  be  considered  separately.  They 
are  as  follows: 


,          j  Eng.,  160-220  lb. 
Bacon  hogs,  j  ^  ^  ^^  ^ 

Light  mixed  hogs,  150-220  lb. 
Light  light  hogs,  125-150  lb. 


BACON  HOGS. 

Hogs  of  this  type  are  used  for  the  production  of  bacon.  This  is  pork 
that  has  been  salted  and  then  smoked.  Breakfast  bacon,  as  is  well 
known,  is  cut  from  the  side  of  a  hog,  and  is  prepared  as  above.  Where 
this  kind  of  pork  is  prepared  from  a  carcass,  the  hams  and  shoulders  are 
sold  separately.  Much  of  the  English  bacon  is  cut  into  what  is  called  a 
"Wiltshire  side."  This  is  the  whole  side,  with  simply  the  head  and  feet 
cut  off. 

In  order  to  understand  this  subject  more  fully,  we  must  first  consider 
in  a  general  way  what  is  meant  by 

ENGLISH  BACON  HOGS. 

The  bacon  hog  that  is  representative  of  this  class  belongs  primarily 
to  Great  Britain,  Denmark,  and  Canada.  In  recent  years,  this  hog  has 
been  introduced  into  the  United  States,  and  is  rapidly  establishing  for 
itself  a  market  class.  Many  hogs  are  sold  on  the  Chicago  and  other  mar- 
kets of  the  United  States  for  bacon  purposes,  but  the  greater  part  of  them 
are  not  of  the  ideal  bacon  type. 

This  hog  must  be  long  in  body,  deep  in  side,  with  comparatively 
narrow  back,  narrow  and  light  hams  and  shoulders,  and  light,  muscular 
neck.  This  form  is  desirable  because  it  is  the  side  of  the  hog  that  fur- 
nishes the  best  and  most  expensive  cuts,  and  it  is  necessary  to  have  as 
much  as  possible  of  this  at  the  expense  of  the  other  parts.  This  hog 
must  also  show  indications  of  having  firm  flesh,  be  well  covered  with  lean 
meat  or  muscle,  and  must  not  have  an  excess  of  fat  on  the  outside  of  the 
carcass.  The  fat  on  the  outside  should  not  be  more  than  one  to  one  and 
a  quarter  inches  in  thickness,  and  should  be  evenly  distributed  over  the 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  443 

entire  carcass.  The  weight  must  be  between  160  and  220  pounds,  as 
this  makes  the  most  desirable  cuts  as  to  size,  flavor,  and  firmness.  From 
the  very  nature  of  a  cut  of  bacon,  size  is  of  much  importance.  A  hog 
smaller  than  the  given  weight  would  furnish  a  side  of  bacon  that  would 
be  too  thin,  and  one  larger  than  this  would  furnish  one  that  would  be 
too  thick. 

A  hog  old  enough,  that  with  good  care  and  breeding  will  weigh  from 
160  to  220  pounds,  furnishes  bacon  that  is  of  the  best  flavor.  A  hog 
smaller  than  this  would  very  likely  be  too  young  and  one  heavier  than 
this  would  be  too  old  to  furnish  bacon  of  the  best  flavor.  In  firmness  of 
flesh,  also,  the  160  to  220-pound  bacon  hog  is  likely  to  be  most  desirable. 
A  hog  younger  than  is  required  to  produce  this  size  would  have  too  much 
water  in  its  flesh;  for  the  younger  the  animal,  the  more  water  it  has  incor- 
porated in  its  system,  and  this  excess  of  water  in  the  system  of  the  young 
hog  not  only  detracts  from  the  firmness  of  the  flesh,  but  also  replaces 
much  of  the  food  value,  thus  forming  a  meat  that  has  less  "substance." 
When  a  hog  is  heavier  than  220  pounds,  he  is  not  so  good  for  bacon  pur- 
poses, because  when  beyond  the  age  required  to  produce  this  weight 
there  is  a  greater  tendency  to  lay  on  fat,  not  only  on  the  outside  of  the 
carcass,  but  also  to  intermix  more  fat  with  the  lean  meat,  thus  producing 
too  much  fat  in  proportion  to  lean  meat  for  the  best  bacon.  After  this 
age  there  is  also  more  of  a  tendency  to  lay  on  fat  unevenly  and  in  patches, 
and  where  this  occurs  it  is  impossible  to  produce  good  bacon. 

These  hogs  are  graded  on  the  market  as: 

Choice  bacon  (Eng.),  plate  19,  page  444. 

Light  bacon  (Eng.),  plate  20,  page  444. 

Fat  bacon  (Eng.),  plate  21,  page  445. 

By  the  term  choice,  in  reference  to  a  bacon  hog,  is  meant  one  that 
conforms  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the  above  description.  It  must  have 
the  form  that  is  characteristic  of  this  type  of  hog,  and  must  have  the 
best  quality  and  condition  that  is  desired  for  the  bacon  trade.  The  indi- 
cations of  quality  are  the  same  as  given  on  page  427. 

Condition. — By  condition  is  meant  the  degree  of  fatness  of  an  animal. 
The  bacon  hog  is  not  a  fat  hog,  consequently  when  a  bacon  hog  is  in  good 
condition  for  market,  he  is  an  entirely  different  looking  hog  from  a  fat  or 
lard  hog  when  in  such  condition.  To  be  in  good  condition  a  bacon  hog 
must  have  a  good  development  of  lean  meat  or  muscle,  with  the  proper 
amount  of  fat  as  outlined  above.  He  must  be  smooth,  well  developed, 
and  have  a  large  proportion  of  edible  meat,  while  the  proportion  of  fat 
and  other  offal  must  be  small.  Hams,  shoulders,  jowls,  and  neck  must 
also  be  small  in  proportion  to  length  and  depth  of  side.  If  a  hog  has  all 
these  characteristics  of  form,  quality,  and  condition  developed  to  a  marked 
degree,  it  would  be  considered  a  choice  bacon  hog.  Plate  19,  page  444. 


444 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[  November, 


PLATE  20- LIGHT  BACON  -(ENGLISH) 


1904." 


MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OP  SWINE. 


445 


A  light^bacon  hog,  plate  20,  page  444,  resembles  a  choice  bacon  hog  in 
form,  but  is  lighter  in  weight,  usually  poorer  in  condition,  and  may  be 
coarser  in  quality.  A 'fat  bacon  hog,  plate  21,  page  445,  resembles  a  choice 
bacon  hog  except  that  he  is  too  fat.  He  may  or  may  not  be  too  heavy. 
Plate  22,  page  445,  shows  a  group  of  unfinished  bacon  hogs.  They  have 
the  proper  form,  but  are  lacking  in  weight  and  condition. 

As  said  before,  hogs  of  this  class  were  in  the  past  produced  principally 
in  Great  Britain,  Denmark,  and  Canada,  where  the  conditions  were 
more  favorable  for  the  production  of  this  class  of  hogs.  In  these  coun- 
tries corn  is  grown  in  very  limited  quantities,  and  the  principal  feed  for 
hogs  is  barley,  oats,  peas,  rye,  roots,  wheat,  and  its  products.  These 
feeds,  together  with  the  exercise  obtained  in  roaming  over  pastures,  are 
conducive  to  the  production  of  the  best  bacon. 


446  BULLETIN  No.  97.  [November, 

It  may  be  thought  that  the  production  of  bacon  is  possible  only  with 
certain  breeds  of  swine  and  that  these  breeds  will  always  produce  bacon 
under  all  circumstances.  While  this  is  true  in  a  general  way,  it  is  not 
always  true.  It  is  the  feed  and  mode  of  life  that  produces  the  bacon  hog 
and  that  enables  him  to  retain  his  form  as  such  after  he  has  been  devel- 
oped. It  would  require  only  a  few  years,  by  taking  a  bacon  hog  and 
confining  him  in  a  small  pen,  feeding  him  and  succeeding  generations  on 
corn  alone,  and  selecting  the  breeding  stock  with  the  desired  end  in  view 
to  produce  a  hog  very  similar  to  the  present  day  fat  or  lard  hog  of  the 
United  States.  It  is  also  true  that  by  selection,  care,  and  proper  feeding 
a  bacon  hog  could  in  time  be  produced  from  the  above  mentioned  fat  or 
lard  hog. 

BACON  HOGS  OF  THIO  UNITED  STATES. 

The  bacon  hog  of  this  type  differs  considerably  from  the  English 
bacon  hog.  There  is,  however,  a  growing  tendency  toward  the  typical 
bacon  type.  The  indications  point  to  the  fact  that  we  are  at  the  "parting 
of  the  way,"  and  that  in  the  future  we  will  have  a  place  for  the  ideal 
bacon  hog  as  well  as  for  the  fat  or  lard  hog.  Corn  is  at  present  being 
used  for  other  purposes,  such  as  the  manufacture  of  corn-starch,  whiskey, 
and  oil.  The  latter  is  used  for  various  purposes,  as  for  lubricating,  a 
table  oil,  as  a  substitute  for  olive  oil,  linseed  oil,  etc.  This  has  caused 
the  price  of  corn  to  go  up  to  nearly  what  other  grains,  used  as  hog  feeds, 
are  worth.  At  the  same  time,  a  ration  of  all  corn,  which  usually  forms 
the  principal  part  of  the  feed  of  the  fat  or  lard  hog,  is  coming  to  be 
generally  recognized  as  detrimental  to  the  best  development  of  swine 
from  the  breeder's  standpoint.  These  things  are  the  cause  of  a  gradual 
drifting  toward  a  more  mixed  ration  in  swine  feeding,  and  usually  a 
ration  containing  more  protein  or  flesh  forming  material.  Coupled  with 
this,  there  is  not  so  great  a  demand  for  fat  pork  as  there  formerly  was, 
and  shipping  and  cold  storage  facilities  are  much  better,  consequently 
more  fresh  and  lean  meats  are  used.  These  various  factors  are  gradually, 
but  most  surely  effecting  a  change  in  the  character  of  swine  in  the  United 
States.  The  all  fat  hog  of  the  past  will  in  the  future  be  partly  replaced 
by  the  bacon  hog,  and  the  fat  or  lard  hog  as  a  whole  will  in  the  future 
more  nearly  approach  the  bacon  hog  in  form  than  in  the  past.  Of  course, 
there  will  always  be  a  demand  for  lard,  consequently  there  will  always  be 
a  place  for  the  fat  or  lard  hog.  But  the  bacon  hog  will  occupy  a  more 
prominent  position  in  the  future  than  he  has  in  the  past.  There  is  a 
demand  on  the  markets  of  this  country  from  foreign  countries  and  more 
largely  from  our  own  country,  for  bacon,  and  there  being  few  bacon  hogs 
to  supply  the  demand,  the  trade  is  supplied  from  the  lighter  hogs  of  the 
fat  or  lard  hog  type.  This  bacon,  however,  does  not  command  so  high 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  447 

a  price  on  the  market  as  does  bacon  from  typical  bacon  hogs.  The 
bacon  hogs  under  consideration  here  weigh  from  155  to  195  pounds, 
and  range  in  age  from  six  to  eight  months.  They  are  simply  hogs 
selected  from  the  light  hogs  in  general,  that  conform  as  nearly  as  possible 
to  the  bacon  type.  They  are  not  very  fat,  have  fairly  good  develop- 
ment of  muscle,  or  lean  meat,  and  are  as  long  and  deep  inside  as  is  pos- 
sible to  obtain  them.  About  20  percent  of  the  light  hogs  that  come  to 
the  Chicago  market  are  of  this  type.  They  are  handled  on  the  market  as 

Choice  bacon  (U.  S.),  plate  23,  page  447. 

Good  bacon^(U.  S.),  plate  24,  page  448. 

Common  bacon  (U.  S.),  plate  25,  page  448. 


PLATE   13.     CHOICE.    BACON, 


Choice  bacon  hogs  are  the  best  of  this  class;  they  are  hogs  that  show 
good  length  and  depth,  good  quality,  and  are  smooth,  well  developed, 
and  not  very  fat.  They  are  hogs  that  have  had  considerable  exercise 
and  have  not  been  fed  on  an  exclusive  corn  ration.  These  bacon  hogs 
are  selected  for  the  most  part  from  shipments  that  come  from  outside 
of  the  corn  belt,  where  the  principal  feed  is  similar  to  that  used  in  Great 
Britain,  Denmark,  and  Canada  for  bacon  production,  viz.,  oats,  barley, 
rye,  peas,  skim  milk,  and  pasture.  These  are  the  feeds  that  are  con- 
ducive to  the  production  of  the  best  bacon  when  fed  to  hogs  of  the  bacon 
type,  and  when  fed  to  hogs  of  the  fat,  or  lard  hog  type,  bacon  hogs 
such  as  we  have  under  discussion  here  are  produced.  These  bacon 
hogs  have  more  fat  on  the  outside  and  less  lean  meat  on  the  inside  of 
their  carcasses  than  the  typical  bacon  hogs,  but  are  better  in  these 


448 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[November, 


respects  than  the  typical  fat,  or  lard  hogs.  In  truth,  this  bacon  hog  is 
an  intermediary  between  the  fat  or  lard  hog  and  the  typical  bacon  hog, 
being  more'like  the  former  than  the  latter.  Plate  23,  page  447. 

The  good  bacon  hogs  of  this  class  may  be  of  poorer  quality,  may 
be  lower  in  condition,  or  may  be  too  fat  or  too  much  of  the  fat  hog  type. 
Any  one  or  all  of  these  conditions  would  be  the  cause  of  hogs  grading 
lower  than  choice.  Plate  24,  page  448. 

If  there  is  a  still  more  marked  deficiency  in  these  characteristics, 
the  hog  will  grade  as  a  common  bacon  hog.  But  still  this  hog  has  suffi- 
cient quality  and  condition  to  show  that  he  has  been  well  bred  and  has 
been  fed  so  that  his  sides  will  do  to  cure  for  the  cheaper  grades  of  bacon. 
Plate  25,  page  448. 


1904.1  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE. 


LIGHT  MIXED  HOGS. 


449 


About  55  percent  of  the  light  hogs  coming  to  the  Chicago  market 
are  of  this  class,  and  here  we  find  somewhat  of  a  miscellaneous  class 
quite  similar,  except  as  to  weight,  to  mixed  packing  hogs.  This  class 
contains  the  hogs  of  the  light  butcher  weights  that  are  too  poor  in 
quality,  form,  and  condition  for  butcher  hogs.  It  also  contains  hogs  of 
the  same  weights  as  the  bacon  hogs,  but  that  are  too  much  of  the  fat 
or  lard  type  hog  for  bacon.  This  class,  then,  is  the  "dumping  ground" 
for  the  outcasts  of  two  former  classes  of  hogs;  in  one  case  it  takes  the 
poorer  hogs  and  in  the  other  case  the  better  hogs,  considered  from  the 
fat  or  lard  hog  standpoint.  Hence  the  appropriateness  of  the  name. 
Hogs  of  this  class  are  used  principally  for  the  fresh  meat  trade  and 
weigh  from  150  to  220  pounds.  They  range  in  age  from  five  to  seven 
months,  and  grade  as 

Good  light  mixed,  plate  26,  page  449. 

Common  light  mixed,  plate  27,  page  450. 

Inferior  light  mixed,  plate  28,  page  450. 

Being  familiar  with  the  kind  of  hogs  in  this  class,  we  are  better  able 
to  judge  as  to  their  grades.  They  are  good,  common,  and  inferior,  in 
proportion  as  they  are  good,  common,  and  inferior  in  form,  quality, 
and  condition,  or  in  proportion  as  the  better  hogs  in  the  class  are  in 
excess  of  the  poorer  ones.  Plates  26,  27,  28,  pages  449,  450,  450. 


450 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[November, 


PLATE  2.7-  COMMON  LIGHT  ,MJXED 

'•   ->• —  


r^L.-- 


LIGHT  LIGHT  HOGS. 

About  25  percent  of  the  light  hogs  coming  to  the  Chicago  market 
are  of  this  class.  This  is  a  class  of  hogs  ranging  in  weight  from  125 
to  150  pounds,  and  in  age  from  five  to  six  months.  They  bear  the 
name  of  "light  light/'  because  they  are  the  lightest  of  light  hogs.  While 
the  "light  butchers"  and  "bacon  hogs"  are  the  selected  kinds  of  their 
respective  weight,  with  consequent  small  variation  between  the  different 


1904." 


MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE. 


451 


grades,  the  class  of  "light  light  hogs"  includes  all  the  hogs  of  this  weight; 
consequently  the  range  in  the  grades  is  wider.  They  are  used  principally 
for  the  fresh-meat  trade,  and  the  grades  are  as  follows: 

Good  light  lights,  plate  29,  page  451. 

Common  light  lights,  plate  30,  page  451. 

Inferior  light  lights,  plate  31,  page  452. 


PLATE  29  OOOD  U&HT  U&HT 


PLATE  30. COMMON  LIGHT  LIGHT 


452 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[November, 


Good  light  lights  are  the  best  hogs  of  this  type  that  come  to  market, 
while  the  common  light  lights  are  of  a  poorer  grade,  and  the  inferior 
light  lights  are  the  poorest  grade  within  these  limits.  These  latter  are, 
however,  by  no  means  the  poorest  grade  of  hogs  that  come  to  market. 
Plates  29,  30,  and  31;  pages  451,  451,  452. 


In  the  Buffalo  market  light  hogs  weighing  from  130  to  180  pounds 
are  called  "Yorkers";  the  lighter  ones  are  called  "light  Yorkers,"  and 
the  heavier  ones  "best  Yorkers."  This  is  only  a  colloquial  expression, 
and  by  it  are  meant  hogs  such  as  are  represented  by  "bacon  hogs," 
"light  lights,"  and  "light  mixed"  hogs.  They  are  called  Yorkers  because 
hogs  of  this  class  find  ready  sale  on  the  New  York  market  and  are  very 
often  shipped  there  from  Buffalo.  Being  shipped  from  Buffalo,  they 
might  under  another  nomenclature  be  called  "shippers." 

"Dairies"  is  another  colloquial  term  used  in  Buffalo,  and  means  hogs 
that  have  been  fed  on  slops  or  refuse  from  dairies.  The  flesh  of  these 
hogs  is  not  so  firm  nor  will  they  dress  so  well  as  will  corn-fed  hogs. 

PIGS. 

Pigs,  as  they  are  considered  on  the  market,  range  in  weight  from 
60  to  125  pounds,  and  in  age  from  three  and  one-half  to  six  months. 
This  class,  the  same  as  that  of  light  light  hogs,  takes  in  all  the  pigs  that 
range  within  the  given  weights.  These  are  used  principally  to  supply 
the  demand  from  the  cheaper  restaurants  and  lunch  counters,  and  are 


1904. 


MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE. 


453 


in  greatest  demand  in  winter,  being  hard  to  preserve  fresh  in  summer 
and  too  young  to  cure.  About  10  percent  of  the  hogs  coming  to  the 
Chicago  market  are  of  this  class.  They  are  graded  as  follows: 

Choice  pigs,  plate  32,  page  453. 

Good  pigs,  plate  33,  page  453. 

Common  pigs,  plate  34,  page  454. 

They  are  choice,  good,  and  common  pigs,  in  proportion  to  their 
approach  to  the  ideal  of  a  fat  hog.  Here,  as  in  the  other  classes,  form, 
quality,  and  condition  determine  their  grade.  They  are  choice  when 
these  characteristics  are  well  developed,  and  good  and  common  as  these 
qualities  are  less  marked.  Plates  32,  33,  and  34;  pages  453,  453,  454. 


454 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


[November, 


ROUGHS. 

In  this  class  we  find  hogs  of  all  sizes  that  are  coarse,  rough,  and  lack- 
ing in  condition.  If  they  are  too  inferior  to  be  classed  as  packing  hogs 
or  as  light  mixed  hogs,  they  go  into  the  class  of  roughs.  The  pork 
from  these  hogs  is  used  for  the  cheaper  class  of  trade  for  both  packing 
and  fresh  meat  purposes.  In  market  reports  pigs  and  roughs  are 
frequently  classed  together,  not  because  they  belong  in  the  same  class, 
but  because  they  sell  at  approximately  the  same  price.  Plate  35,  page  455, 

STAGS. 

Stags  are  hogs  that  at  one  time  were  boars  beyond  the  pig  stage 
and  have  been  subsequently  castrated.  They  sell  with  a  dockage  of 
80  pounds.  If  they  are  of  good  quality  and  condition  and  do  not  show 
too  much  stagginess,  they  go  in  with  the  various  grades  of  packing 
hogs.  AVhen  they  are  coarse  and  staggy.  in  appearance,  they  are  sold 
in  the  same  class  with  boars.  The  intermediary  grades  sell  for  prices 
ranging  between  these  extremes,  dependent  upon  their  freedom  from 
stagginess  and  their  quality  and  condition.  Plate  36,  page  456. 


BOARS. 

Boars  are  always  sold  in  a  class  by  themselves  and  bring  from  two 
to  three  dollars  per  hundredweight  less  than  the  best  hogs  on  the  market 
at  the  same  time.  They  always  sell  straight,  with  no  dockage.  There  are 
no  distinctions  as  to  grades;  they  simply  sell  as  boars.  Of  course,  if 
there  are  marked  differences  as  to  quality  and  condition,  the  price  varies 
a  little  accordingly.  The  pork  from  these  animals  is  used  to  supply  the 
cheaper  class  of  trade,  and  also  for  making  sausage.  Plate  37,- page  456. 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE. 


455 


456 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


1904. 


MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OP  SWINE. 


457 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

ROASTING  PIGS. 

This  is  a  class  of  pigs  from  three  to  six  weeks  old  and  weighing  from 
15  to  30  pounds.  These  are  not  generally  found  qucrted  hi  market 
reports,  as  they  come  to  market  hi  such  small  numbers  and  only  during 
holiday  seasons.  Pigs  of  this  class  usually  are  of  very  nearly  uniform 
grade.  They  are  taken  direct  from  their  dams,  dressed  with  head  and 
feet  on,  and  served  like  spring  chickens  or  turkeys.  The  price  varies 
greatly,  ranging  all  the  way  from  regular  live  hog  prices  to  that  paid 
for  poultry.  Plate  38,  page  457. 


FEEDERS. 

Feeders  are  hogs  that  are  bought  on  the  market  and  taken  back  to 
the  country  to  be  further  fed.  This  is  practiced  only  to  a  very  small 
extent.  First,  because  the  price  per  hundredweight  of  the  animal  is 
not  usually  much  enhanced  by  such  an  operation,  as  is  the  case  with 
cattle.  Many  times  such  a  hog  would  sell  for  less  money  per  pound 
after  being  fed  to  a  heavy  weight,  than  the  price  paid  for  him  when 
bought  as  a  pig.  This  is  due  to  the  fluctuation  in  price  between  heavy 
and  light  hogs.  Second,  there  is  too  much  danger  of  the  hogs  con- 
tracting diseases,  such  as  hog  cholera  and  swine  plague,  by  going  through 
the  yards  and  by  being  shipped  in  cars  that  may  be  infected.  Further- 
more, the  life  of  a  hog  being  short  and  the  feed  required  to  put  him  in 
market  condition  not  being  very  great,  he  is  usually  fitted  for  market 
in  first  hands.  Then  again,  a  pig  that  has  been  fed  on  corn  would  not 
be  a  profitable  feeder,  owing  to  the  tendency  to  lay  on  fat  at  the  expense 
of  the  muscle  and  framework  of  the  body. 


458  BULLETIN  No.  97.  [November, 

GOVERNMENTS. 

Before  hogs  are  allowed  to  pass  over  the  scales  to  be  weighed  out 
to  the  packer,  the  speculator,  the  shipper,  or  to  any  one  else  who  may 
choose  to  buy  them,  they  must  first  pass  the  scrutiny  of  a  government 
inspector.  Ah1  hogs  that  are  not  considered  sound  in  every  respect  are 
tagged  by  this  inspector  and  retained  for  further  inspection.  These 
are  called  Governments.  Plate  39,  page  458.  They  are  usually  bought 
up  by  a  local  dealer  and  taken  to  one  of  the  smaller  packing  houses, 
where  they  are  slaughtered  under  the  supervision  of  an  inspector.  If 
found  to  be  affected  so  as  to  make  their  flesh  unfit  for  human  food, 
they  are  condemned,  slaughtered,  and  tanked.  The  tank  is  a  large 
steam-tight  receptacle  like  a  steam  boiler,  in  which  the  lard  is  rendered 
under  steam  pressure.  This  high  degree  of  heat  destroys  all  disease 
germs  with  which  the  diseased  carcass  may  have  been  affected.  The 
product  of  the  tank  is  converted  into  grease  and  fertilizer.  This  many 
people  consider  poisonous  because  it  is  made  from  dead  and  diseased 
animals.  Such,  however,  is  not  the  case.  Most  diseases  are  caused  by 
bacteria.  These  render  the  meat  from  such  animals  unfit  for  human 
food,  on  account  of  the  danger  of  transmitting  the  disease,  but  they  are 
completely  destroyed  in  the  process  of  rendering  the  lard,  which  is 
then  used  for  the  manufacture  of  axlegrease,  soap,  etc.  The  lean  meat 
and  bones  of  such  animals,  after  going  through  the  tank,  are  used  for 
the  manufacture  of  fertilizer.  This  also  has  all  disease  germs  with 
which  it  has  been  affected  completely  destroyed  and  is  perfectly  harmless 
to  be  used  on  soil,  meadow,  or  pasture  grass.  It  could  even  be  used 
for  the  manufacture  of  tankage  and  allied  farm  animal  food  products 
with  entire  impunity.  The  packers,  however,  report  that  such  foods 
are  not  manufactured  from  diseased  animals,  but  from  the  scraps  of 
meat  from  healthy  animals. 


PUATc    39- GOVERNMENTS 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  459 

As  has  been  shown,  the  name  "Governments"  is  given  to  a  class  of 
hogs,  irrespective  of  form,  quality,  and  condition,  that  have  been  tagged 
by  a  government  inspector  at  the  scales.  These  inspectors  are  stationed 
only  at  large  packing  centers.  They  are  hired  by  the  Government,  are 
thoroughly  competent  men,  and  do  this  work  without  fear  or  hesitation. 
The  inspectors  stationed  at  the  smaller  packing  houses,  where  inspectors 
are  furnished  at  all,  are  furnished  either  privately  or  by  the  city.  Having 
less  work  to  do,  they  cannot  be  paid  such  large  salaries;  consequently, 
men  with  poorer  qualifications  must  be  accepted,  and  there  is  more 
danger  of  diseased  meat  getting  to  the  consumer  through  this  channel 
than  through  the  large  packing  houses  where  government  inspectors 
are  furnished.  The  Government,  up  to  the  present  time,  has  been  unable 
to  get  enough  of  sufficiently  well  qualified  men  to  supply  all  packing 
houses  with  inspectors. 

Besides  the  inspector  at  the  scales,  there  are  in  the  large  packing 
houses  three  more  government  inspectors.  One  is  stationed  where  he. 
can  feel  of  the  submaxillary  and  cervical  glands  as  the  carcasses  of 
hogs  pass  by  him  on  the  rail  with  the  heads  partially  severed,  exposing 
the  glands.  These  glands  furnish  the  best  means  of  detecting  tubercu- 
losis, and  the  carcass  of  any  animal  that  has  the  appearance  of  this 
disease  in  these  glands  is  tagged  and  passed  on  intact,  with  only  the 
intestines  taken  out. 

The  second  inspector  is  stationed  farther  down  the  line  at  a  point 
where  he  can  view  the  carcass  after  it  has  been  cut  open.  Any  carcass 
affected  with  tuberculosis,  hog  cholera,  swine  plague,  or  any  other  disease 
that  may  have  been  accidentally  passed  by  the  first  inspector,  or  any 
that  is  healthy  in  the  above-named  glands  and  diseased  in  other  parts 
of  the  body,  is  tagged  by  this  second  inspector.  These  two  men  must 
necessarily  work  very  rapidly,  as  the  carcasses  of  hogs  pass  and  must 
be  examined  by  them  at  the  rate  of  800  to  1,000  an  hour. 

The  third  inspector  is  stationed  in  the  cooling  rooms  and  examines 
critically  all  carcasses  that  have  been  tagged  by  the  two  former  inspec- 
tors. As  he  examines  only  the  tagged  carcasses,  he  has  time  to  give 
them  a  thorough  examination.  All  carcasses  that  he  finds  so  badly 
diseased  as  to  render  them  unfit  for  human  food  are  condemned  and 
tanked.  The  carcasses  in  which  the  disease  is  found  to  be  only  local- 
ized and  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  render  the  meat  of  the  same  unfit 
for  use  are  passed.  These  then  pass  into  the  ordinary  channels  of  con- 
sumption. Many  times  only  parts  of  the  carcass  are  condemned,  while 
the  rest  is  passed  as  fit  for  food. 

In  most  every  town  throughout  the  country  where  there  is  a  meat 
market  there  is  also  a  slaughter-house  where  hogs  are  killed  for  home 
consumption.  In  these  there  are  no  inspectors,  and  the  dealers  them- 


460  BULLETIN  No.  97.  [November, 

selves  are  not  able  to  diagnose  the  various  diseases,  and  even  if  they 
were,  the  loss  would  be  so  great  that  they  would  be  tempted  to  be  blind 
to  anything  that  would  detract  from  the  profits  of  their  business. 

There  are  even  small  packing-houses  in  the  smaller  cities  that  do 
more  than  a  local  business;  slaughtering  hogs  and  shipping  the  prepared 
meats.  Many  of  these  have  no  inspectors,  and  all  there  is  to  prevent 
all  animals,  both  diseased  and  healthy,  finding  their  way  into  the  retail 
channels,  is  the  intelligence,  diligence  and  honesty  of  these  small  packers, 
which  it  is  not  always  safe  implicitly  to  trust. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  and  considering  that  all  hogs  are  subject  to 
such  diseases  as  hog  cholera,  swine  plague,  trichinae,  and  tuberculosis, 
the  latter  two  being  especially  dangerous  to  man,  it  is  evident  that  our 
most  wholesome  meats  are  most  likely  to  come  from  the  large  packing- 
houses, where  are  stationed  the  government  inspectors. 

PEN  HOLDERS. 

The  hogs  of  this  class  have  no  influence  on  the  market;  they  serve 
their  purpose,  as  their  name  indicates. 

The  stockyards  in  Chicago,  for  instance,  are  owned  by  the  Union 
Stockyards  and  Transit  Co.  This  firm  gets  its  revenue  from  the  charges 
for  yardage  of  stock,  for  weighing  the  stock,  for  feed  consumed  by  the 
stock,  and  for  terminal  switching.  The  commission  men  who  sell  the 
stock  as  it  comes  to  the  yards,  and  the  speculators  who  handle  part  of  it, 
pay  nothing  for  their  privilege  of  doing  business  in  the  yards.  They 
hold  their  respective  positions  by  common  consent,  and  their  respective 
pens  by  keeping  hogs  in  them.  These  are  called  pen  holders.  They 
usually  are  hogs  that  are  worth  the  least  money,  being  long  legged, 
of  poor  form,  coarse  in  quality,  and  much  lacking  in  condition.  They 
are  kept  simply  for  this  one  purpose,  .viz.,  holding  pens.  Plate  40, 
page  461. 

DEAD  HOGS. 

These  are  the  hogs  that  have  been  killed  in  the  cars  in  transit.  They 
are  used  for  the  manufacture  of  grease,  soap,  and  fertilizer.  If  they 
weigh  100  pounds  or  over,  they  sell  for  75  cents  per  hundredweight. 
If  they  weigh  less,  they  furnish  no  revenue  to  the  producer  or  shipper, 
the  cost  of  handling  the  same  being  held  equal  to  their  value.  Plate  41 , 
page  462. 

To  summarize  the  percentage  number  of  hogs  of  the  principal  classes 
on  the  Chicago  market  annually  we  have  the  following,  which  is  only 
an  approximate  estimate,  and  is  subject  to  considerable  variation  from 
vear  to  vear: 


1904.]  MAEKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE. 


461 


462 


BULLETIN  No.  97. 


Butcher  hogs,  25  percent  of  all  hogs  on  the  market. 
Packing  hogs,  40  percent  of  all  hogs  on  the  market. 

,     (  Bacon,  20  percent. 
Light  hogs,  15  percent  of  all  hogs  on  the  \  T .  ,  ,      .      ,   __ 

1  Light  mixed,  55  percent, 
market  /  T  °,  r  ,  ,    ' 

I  Light  light,  25  percent. 

Pigs,  10  percent  of  all  hogs  on  the  market. 

Other  classes,  10  percent  of  all  hogs  on  the  market. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

1.  A  thorough  understanding  of  the  market  classification  of  hogs 
is  very  essential  to  all  concerned  in  the  handling  of  swine. 

2.  About  two-fifths  of  the  world's  hog  supply  is  produced  in  the 
United  States  and  about  six-sevenths  of  these  are  produced  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley;  hence  this  section  of  country  has  developed  the  fat  or 
lard  hog  and  has  set  the  standard  for  hogs  in  other  parts  of  the  United 
States. 

3.  The  fat  or  lard  hog  is  such  because  corn  has  been  his  principal 
feed  and  because  there  has  been  a  demand  for  pork  from  such  a  hog, 


1904.]  MARKET  CLASSES  AND  GRADES  OF  SWINE.  463 

and  he  will  conform  to  the  present  prevailing  type  just  as  long  as  corn 
remains  his  principal  feed. 

4.  Classes  and  sub-classes  are  divisions  into  which  swine  are  sepa- 
rated on  account  of  their  differences  in  type,  wgight,  quality,  and  con- 
dition, and  the  grades  distinguish  the  superior  from  the  inferior  animals 
within  the  classes  and  sub-classes. 

5.  The   terms,    "mediums     and    butchers,"     "pigs    and    roughs/' 
"selected,"  "shipping,"  "mediums  and  heavies,"  "mixed,"   "Yorkers," 
and  "dairies,"  are  either  compound  or  colloquial  terms,  and  their  use 
should  be  discouraged. 

6.  Butcher  hogs  are  the  best  hogs  from  the  fat  or  lard  hog  stand- 
point that  come  to  market,  and  should  be  used  as  a  standard  for  com- 
parison. 

7.  From  the  bacon  market  standpoint  the  English  bacon  hog  is 
the  ideal  toward  which  hogs  are  being  developed. 

8.  To  the  close  observer  it  is  apparent  that  the  gradually  changing 
conditions  brought  about  by  the  development  of  the  United  States,  and  the 
increase  in  the  price  of  corn,  resulting  from  its  varied  commercial  uses, 
cause  the  hog  to  be  fed  a  more  mixed  and  usually  a  more  nitrogenous 
ration.     This  will  in  the  future  affect  the  type  of  the  hog  of  the  United 
States,  so  that  it  will  more  nearly  approach  that  of  the  English  bacon 
hog. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


